NaNoWriMo Series: Ultimate Playlists

All right, guys. This is the home stretch of NaNoWriMo Prep. Hard to believe, but we’ve only got one prep post left after this one! Next week we’re going to be bringing you some seriously helpful tools that will help you organize your thoughts and yourself before November 1 arrives. If you’ve missed any of our other posts, you can find them all here.

This week, we’ve gathered a must-have for any NaNo participants: playlists. Whether you like current tracks, instrumental songs, or just the sound of waves crashing on a beach, we’ve got you covered. Do you have any favorites writing playlists? Let us know in the comments!

Chill Vibes Playlist

Use this playlist when you’re on a roll. The words are coming fast and heavy, and you want some music on in the background, but you don’t want anything distracting. Think of this as your coffee house chic playlist.

Motivation Playlist

On the other hand, you might need something upbeat to get you going. This playlist features some of the most upbeat and motivational tunes we know. Throw it on, sit down, and bang that word count out.

Nostalgia Playlist

These are pretty upbeat songs popular in the mid-90s through the early oughts. If you’re a subscriber to the Nick Box, or long for the days when Blink 182 was on the radio as a top hit rather than a throwback, this playlist is for you. Good luck not singing along.

Geek Wedding Playlist

This one is popular songs from movies and video games, sans-lyrics. They’re epic and sweeping and can really help you focus and get lost in your story.

Ambient Noise Playlist

This one is for the serious worker. The first half of this playlist is straight-up ambient noise, like thunder, rain, waves, and crickets. The second half is more instrumental versions of popular songs and movie soundtrack songs.

Pandora Radio Study Stations

Want to get a little bit more variety in your playlists? Pandora has study playlists ranging from Classicaland Instrumentalmusic to Beatsand Electronic. They also have a Study Break Comedy playlist for when you just need to step away from your novel and think about something else.

The Sounds of Hogwarts…Or Anywhere Else

A few months ago I discovered this amazing site where you can listen to the ambient sounds of places like the Hufflepuff Common Room,The Hogwarts Express,The Shire,The Tardis, orThe Death Star. Not your thing? Make an account for free and you can mix your own sounds using their library. I like putting this one on in the background and playing music over it. It’s super relaxing, and helps me block out distractions and has me sitting at my laptop like: